What is a day planner? And Digital Vs. Old School Paper And Pen

A day planner helps you organize your daily schedule. Think of it as an elaborate "To-Do" list, available in paper (pre-printed) or digital format. Most day planners provide "day-at-a-glance" and "week-at-a-glance" views, with room for you to write down all of your tasks and appointments.

Printed day planners are available in multiple sizes, and require refills. Supplementary features (such as "month-at-a-glance" are available.

Back in the day (i.e., mid-1980's), day planners were only available in paper (pre-printed) format. Thanks to the explosion of technology and the subsequent invention of smartphones, tablets, and apps, digital day planners are now available. For better or for worse.

Why you should use a day planner

Using a luxury day planner helps you manage your time. Effective time management, in turn, increases your productivity. Just as monitoring your daily spending helps you manage your personal finances, writing down your appointments and tasks helps you manage your time and avoid wasting it.That is why so many women have chosen to use our Hustle Daily as their Business Planner.

If you have multiple demands on your schedule--social, academic, professional, marital, philanthropic--a day planner can help you stay on track.

Deciding Between a Paper Planner or Digital Planner

Paper day planners and digital planners each have advantages.

• Customization. Paper planners, for example, allow you to express your personality. You choose covers, sizes and features. You can add glitter or stickers (yes, even adults like to do this!).
• Navigation. It's faster and easier to flip the pages of a paper planner when you're looking for something. The closest thing on a digital device is opening another window, or scrolling furiously. This can get tiresome if you're looking at your phone.
• Retention. Studies show that writing things down manually (versus typing) improves memory.
• Neater updates. Between white-out and crossed out entries, paper day planner updates can get messy. Plus, paper day planners require refills. Digital planners, on the other hand, allow you to update multiple devices easily, with no muss or fuss. Digital planners are nice, but they still don't have that "thing" that so many of us are looking for. I personally don't mind seeing scratched off todo lists. Makes me feel accomplished!
• Efficiency. If you work closely with multiple people or manage projects, digital planners can help you collaborate with great efficiency. You can schedule recurring appointments or tasks and post updates accessible to all team members or colleagues. However we still love and always write our to do lists down :)

Whether you choose a paper or a digital day planner, the best day planner depends on your needs and how you work best. Remember: no matter which format you choose, a day planner is only effective if you consistently it.

Interested in exploring paper day planners? Check out these paper planners.

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Keep Track of Your Wedding Details with a Wedding Organizer

What's the key to making your wedding perfect? How come some brides appear to have it all together and some look like they are extras in "The Walking Dead"? The answer is "organization". Some people can make it look easy, because it is easy. When you are organized.

You have recently become engaged and are ready to start planning your wedding ceremony and reception along with all of the other small functions and ongoing events that this big announcement will entail. The most efficient method of keeping all of these details in one place is by keeping a planner where you can enter dates, times, places, and tasks that need to be completed. A truly spectacular binder to consider for all of your wedding planning needs is the "Happily Hitched" planner. Some special guidelines in using this effective tool include:

Begin Using Your Planner Early
Don't tell yourself that you will remember all those little details when you start making preliminary and tentative arrangements. You may see items that you adore for your bridal luncheon, and then further into the year try to remember where you saw them. Planning a wedding can be very overwhelming, and it is important to begin writing everything down and taking pictures of even the smallest item that may seem unimportant at the time.

Organize the Planner for Efficiency
This planner is 122 pages long and organized into four main categories: goals, projects, financials, and plans. Each one has pages of specifics for you to enter. For example, the goals sections helps you visualize the event exactly the way you want it. The plans section lists all of your vendors, musicians, photographer, cake details, and more. There are several pages included in the planner that are designated for notes.

Add Notes and Receipts
Utilize the planner to store receipts, business cards, fabric samples, and other vital information. Having everything at your fingertips will make it easier for you and your prospective spouse to make informed choices.

Take it With You Everywhere You Go
This tool should be in your possession everywhere you go. This is particularly true when you are still in the beginning planning stages. You may become overwhelmed by all of the linen, food, music, and venue choices that you are presented with. By taking good notes, you will be able to sit down together and make your decisions quickly and efficiently.

Purchase Complementing Items
There are many other items that can be purchased with this planner. Choose from pencils that match your wedding colors, stickers, notepads, and patterned and solid tape products that will help you assemble an organized and eye appealing volume. Make this journey fun and invest in items that will help you on your way.

This wedding planner will keep you on track so you won't have to worry about missing a single detail. Save it so you can look through it on your first and all future wedding anniversary and relive all of those hectic plans and particulars once again. You will feel so nostalgic but also relieved that you got through it with little fuss or hassle.

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How To Power Through A Bad Day

Having a bad day is not an extraordinary experience. Everyone gets one or more in a month. However, some bad days just get on our nerves, and they can disrupt our work, relationships, mental health, and lifestyle.

Some people choose binge eating or drinking as a way to relieve themselves of stress. Some, swear and yell at people to let their emotions out, only to regret it later. But you don't have to add that one bad day to your already filled-up sack bag of stress.

There are many ways to overcome a bad day without feeling any regret afterward.

1. Breathe

Yes, one of the key ways you can get away with a stressful situation is to breathe and react calmly. If you choose to respond to an awful stimulus in an angry, violent or negative manner, you are only adding more wood to the fire.

Don't make the bad situation worse. No matter how difficult it is to keep your cool, do it. You will save yourself of more trouble later because you might end up either in an embarrassing or dangerous situation depending on the case.

If you want to get even by saying negative comments, think again.

Breathe and don't respond in an angry or emotional way to people, especially at work.

Find a quiet place where you can sit down for a couple of minutes and let it all out. Breathe in and breathe out slowly.

Take your time and return calmly.

2. Speak

There are days when you don't feel so glamorous, and for whatever reason, you are mad at everyone.

If you think the monster inside is going to bark at anyone who touches you, tell your colleagues or friends that you are not feeling so good today and you may have a bad temper.  

It is better to inform them ahead rather than to apologize later for yelling at them out of the blue. You will end up losing friends and respect from colleagues if you give stupid excuses for shouting at them.

You don't let it out to people, especially those who aren't close enough with you to understand you.

If you have someone at work or home that you know won't misunderstand or judge you, tell them about what happened. Share your thoughts with them and try to listen to them as well.

They might also have had a bad experience during the day that they want to share.

Don't let it out on social media. If someone did something wrong to you, don't post pictures of that person on the internet. Be considerate about how they may feel about it because they probably have issues too.

Don't become a prey of your emotions. You can't control the situation, but you can always control your reaction. It will speak about your personality, more than anything else.

3. Find A Healthy And Productive Distraction

Finding a distraction is the usual advice for those who have a bad day. However, almost everyone makes bad entertainment choices.

Instead of stress- eating or drinking, you can let your creative side shine during these down moments. Try to draw or paint, write poems and stories, bake or cook. If you are at work, read something or get busy with work.

The best way to get away with a bad day is to feel productive at the end of it. If you feel rewarded at the end of the day, you will no longer feel so bad about the other half of it.

4. Write It Down

If you don't think you can cook, swim or do anything because you're at work or anywhere that hinders you from doing so, writing down what you feel or think will help best.

Do you have a planner you always bring with you? A notebook, paper receipts or anything where you can write? Writing is as good as talking. If you are going to read your experiences that day in the next month, you will most likely find yourself laughing about it.

Reviewing your planner notes will also give you an idea how you've matured emotionally. You will find yourself foolish on some days, but you will at least know what you should improve on.

5. Release The Negative Feelings Properly

It will also help if you know how to release your negative emotions appropriately. Channel your emotions into things that you know would calm you best.

It is not impulsive buying, binge eating or binge drinking.

Listening to music, jogging, walking in the park or practicing yoga positions are great ways for you to release the negative feelings efficiently.

Finding healthy ways to deal with negative feelings is essential according to Dr. Vik Tarugu of Detox of South Florida. He stated, "People that repress their emotions find other ways to let them out. Many of the patients that we see in our recovery center failed to find ways to deal with their emotions and resorted to chemical assistance to help them deal."

So please go for a run, lift weights, do pilates. Whatever you need to do to relieve the stress. 

6. Get A Good Amount Of Rest

If you think every day seems to be always a rough day for you, then there must be something that causes you to become irritable out of your control.

In fact, if you are not getting enough sleep, you are more likely to get irritable for the rest of the day.  If you think you've lacked sleep lately, find time to rest.

According to studies, an average human can only survive three days of no sleep, so if you've been sleepless for many nights now, you are jeopardizing your health.

According to the  model health podcast, host, Shawn Stevenson (one of our favorite podcasts) states that "it is not the number of hours of sleep you get, but rather the quality of those hours". So make sure you turn off all electronics an hour or so before bed to wind down. Remove clocks or anything that throws light into what should be a pitch black environment.

One reason why people find it hard to sleep even when they're lying in bed is they still connect to their devices. Don't associate your bed with work, the internet or anything else except for sleep. Don't sleep with devices on your bed or near you.

Being anxious or worried about anything is also one reason why one can't sleep. Identify the reason why you are anxious and address it immediately.

If you think you need medical help, don't hesitate to contact a physician. Some people develop tolerance with sleeping pills over time, and you might be dependent or addicted to it without a doctor's prescription.

Sleep is the only way for the body to restore the cells we have lost during the day.

Sleep is not just for the weak. It is for everyone.

Takeaway

The quality of your life will depend on your daily activities. That one bad day can make you lose many things if you don't handle it well.

Appropriately dealing with stress is not rocket science, it is something all creatures have evolved with ever since the dawn of life, and that skill is an ultimate need for survival.

Accept the fact that not every day is going to be blissful and that this too, will pass. Think twice and be wise with your decisions.

 

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The Effective Life-STARTplanners are the Best Way to Upgrade your Life

For some of us, organization and planning ahead comes naturally, but many of us need a little extra push in the right direction. It's a process that's well worth the work though. Researchers say that visualizing yourself succeeding something gives you an edge, so planning ahead to succeed is the best way to actually take hold of your dreams.

And if you're looking for a simple way to take hold of your dreams (or even just make your life a little less hectic), you've come to the right place. You don't need a life coach or millions of dollars or a fancy new technology, the best way to start is with a planner.

Planning ahead can help you get your dream job.
If you're working toward your dream job, you need to first know what that job is. Now write it down some place you look every day so that you know your goal. What's keeping you from getting it? Write a list of obstacles and plan a way to conquer them. Not qualified? Plan to take some classes online. No experience? Put in some applications to volunteer in a similar position. Schedule time to work on those activities, because if it's in your schedule you're more likely to do it.

A good wedding planner can help organize your fairy tale wedding.
Wedding planning requires a lot of organization, so you'll want something big with room for expansion, but something portable enough to carry with you to appointments. Keep photos of things you like for inspiration, and don't forget to include a budget so you can quickly check if that to-die-for dress is really in your price range.

Be a better mom.
The thing about parenting is that you spend a lot of time doing laundry and running errands and shuttling kids back and forth from schools and activities. You spend most of your time doing those things, but they aren't the things that really matter. If you have a plan for when and how you're going to tackle those mundane chores, you won't spend your whole Saturday in the laundry room while your kids are watching TV. Organization and planning ahead can help you save space for quality time with your kids, where you can do the parenting tasks that really make a difference (and the ones you actually enjoy)--playing with them, listening to them, and teaching them.

Start that business you've been dreaming about for years.
Seriously, you can do it. Starting a new business is stressful and time-consuming, especially if you're trying to hold on to your old job while you do it. A good planner will leave you space to dream big. Write down those dreams, and reread them when you're feeling burned out. Schedule deliberate time to work toward your goals every day and write that in your calendar so you don't forget. You may also want to find a planner that has space for documents so you can carry it along to meetings with lenders, vendors, clients, or partners.

Planning ahead is work, but if you spend a little more time developing a plan at the front end, you'll find your actions are much more successful.

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Master Plan Notepad

Meet our newest "bling" member, Master Plan! We are always looking for ways to enhance your planning experience and we are excited to share with you how having a "master plan" can help you crush your goals and project lists!

1. Rolling To-Do List: Master Plan is great for making a list of tasks you need to get done throughout the week and not necessarily on a specific day. Just add a piece of STARTtape, and boom!...you're now ready to "roll" that list over to the next day and keep hustlin'!

 

 

2. Ongoing Punch List: Have a big move coming up? Still working on your winter cleaning list? Master Plan is great for keeping up with all the little tasks that need to be completed within one larger task or project.

 

 

 

3. Project List: Need more space for "Action Steps" in your PLANS section of your planner? Master Plan is great for breaking your "Action Steps" into smaller action steps, and even creating a shopping list for the supplies you'll need to complete your project. You can tape the list inside your planner with our STARTtape and easily remove when it's time to go on a supplies run.

 

4. Party Planning: Planning your next birthday bash or hosting a wedding shower for your BFF? No matter the event, Master Plan is a great sidekick to your planner and can help you keep up with all the errands you need to run and tasks that need to get done in order to plan your next big event!

 

We would love to see how you are using Master Plan to organize your life. Share with us on Instagram using #STARTplanner or tag us on Facebook, STARTplanner.  : )

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Stop Doing Everything And Pursue 1 Thing With Reckless Abandon. The Secrets of The Highly Successful.

It's no secret. Most people have an inner desire to be wildly successful. While most people may not overtly express it, there is a deep desire to be excellent and known for the great works behind their legacy. While this is admirable and achievable, there is one approach people take that's the worst move to make.

In an effort to conquer the world and "do it all", they wind up accomplishing nothing. The best way to be successful is to stop doing everything and pursue one thing with reckless abandon. This mantra completely goes against the concept of being a jack-of-all-trades. However, a jack-of-all-trades is normally a master of none. If you'd like to become a master at something, there are a few reasons why you should only pursue one thing.


1. Focus
You need to focus. If a person has a bunch of things on their schedule that are totally unrelated, it can be hard to focus. Even for things that are related, a successful person will have to turn some things down. Ryan Holiday, the author of Ego is the Enemy, explained that if he accepted all the podcast invitations he receives, this would take at least two to three hours of his day. While speaking on podcasts would build his brand and get his book to more people, he had to decide where he really wants to focus. As a writer, he continues to choose writing over everything else. This is the reason he is a master at what he does. Just like many other successful people, Ryan understands the importance of focus.

2. Length of Time
Malcolm Gladwell proposes that it takes 10,000 hours to become a master at anything. This may sound like a lot of time and it is. However, the time flies by when you're focused on one thing and nothing else. When you spread your time between five different projects, that's now 50,000 hours of mastery. You can't become a master at one thing when you're distracted by five. In this digital age, so many people are doing their best to multi-task. Fight the urge to multi-task because it'll just take you a longer time to complete one task. Focus on one thing you'd like to get great at. You'll find that the time goes quicker when you're intentional about that one project.

3. Quality
If you choose to split your time between multiple projects, you'll also compromise the integrity of the outcome. The quality won't be as good. When the mind goes in twenty different directions, it can be really hard to build quality results that are worthwhile. One of the best ways to face this directly is through looking at your daily routine. You've been given 24 hours in a day. Eight of the hours are usually dedicated to sleep. A large portion of the remaining sixteen hours should be solely spent creating a quality product. Whether you're a writer working on a book, a seamstress working on a sewing project or a pianist learning new chords, make time to produce quality. Quality work is praised and appreciated.

Open your day planner and take a look at what projects, chores and tasks fill your day. Now, revise it to reflect that one thing you're going to pursue with reckless abandon. Remember the listed reasons and follow through. You'll be better for it in the end.

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How Can I Get More Done At Work? Efficiency Tips

Increasing productivity is a hot topic in the workplace today, and you should view disorganization as your biggest nemesis for accomplishing your goals. While mindfulness and going to bed early are always effective for helping you stay on task, it is also important to look at how you structure your environment and day. Often, it’s the little things like failing to define your goals that interfere with your ability to get things done. As you set up your organizational system, use these tips to streamline your day so that you operate at peak efficiency.

Start the Day By Checking Your Correspondence

Those last minute meetings or requests for information can really mess up your day. For this reason, you should always pencil in a little “me time” in your morning so that you can catch up on any correspondence that came in overnight. Grab your morning beverage of choice, and look over your emails and memos. Then, add any events for the day to your lifestyle planner before you forget.

Some experts disagree. Some will tell you that you should check your email after 2-3 hours of highly productive work. Do what works best for you.

Consolidate Your Information Resources

While smartphone apps are great for sending alerts, it gets cumbersome having to log in and out of separate ones. For this reason, successful professionals know that going back to the basics simplifies their work because writing everything down in one place saves time when they need to research an important contact or review their meeting notes. In addition to using your lifestyle planner for scheduling purposes, consolidate by jotting down notes and other information that is pertinent to your work.

Clear the Clutter

It’s a classic productivity tip but worth mentioning because you may not realize how many distractions fill your day. Start by clearing your desk of any nonessentials. That stack of reference books may make you look busy, but you don’t need them taking up space if you don’t use them everyday. Once your physical space is organized, move on to your electronic resources. Set up your email so that junk goes where it should, and delete unnecessary files from your computer.

Practice Time Blocking

Being organized at work means more than just being able to find your paperclips. Focusing on time management is an essential component of workplace organization. If you constantly find yourself struggling to meet deadlines, consider blocking off sections of time during your day to work on specific tasks. This practice not only ensures that you spend time on each item on your to-do list, but it also generates a sense of urgency by giving you a deadline for completing each action.

Create a Success List

To-Do lists have long been viewed as an effective organizational tool. However, it is important to use them correctly. Simply writing down things such as to email your colleague or make that presentation for a meeting does little more than giving you the satisfaction of marking it off your list. In fact, many of the things most people write down could be done within the time it takes to write it. Instead, use your to-do list to plan out only the goals you need to successfully complete your projects. While they may span several weeks or months, this list should serve as a driving force for each day.

The fast-paced work environments today mean that staying organized is crucial for accomplishing your goals. While you may not be able to stop every interruption, you can make sure you stay on track by emphasizing the importance of utilizing every second of your time effectively.

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